Firearms Act and Violent Crime Involving Handguns

The Earl of Shrewsbury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	By how much violent crime involving handguns has decreased since Royal Assent was given to the Firearms Act 1997.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Violent crime involving handguns includes the offence groups of violence against the person and robbery. The total numbers of these offences involving handguns in England and Wales and Scotland for the years ending December 1996 and 1997 and March 1998 and 1999 are given in the table.
	
		
			  England and Wales Scotland 
			 1996 3,075 148 
			 1997 2,376 116 
			 1997-98 2,361 101 
			 1998-99 2,417 116 
		
	
	The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 does not apply in Northern Ireland.

Young Offender Institutions: Self-harm by Inmates

The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many inmates of young offender institutions committed or attempted suicide in each year since 1997; and
	How many cases of self-harm by inmates of young offender institutions took place in each year since 1997.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information is given in the tables. Information about attempted suicides is not recorded separately but is incorporated into figures on self-harm.
	
		Self-inflicted Deaths at HMP Young Offenders Institutions 1997-2000
		
			 Calendar Year No. of Deaths 
			 19975 
			 1998 5 
			 1999 8 
			 2000* 1 
		
	
	*As at 5th July 2000
	
		Incidents of Self-harm at HMP Young Offenders Institutions 1997-2000
		
			 Financial Year Incidents of Self-harm 
			 1996-1997793 
			 1997-1998 879 
			 1998-1999 944 
			 1999-2000* N/A 
		
	
	*Not yet available
	(i) Establishments have been categorised according to their primary role. However, it should be noted that there are a number of other prisons that hold young offenders (eg male remand centres) which are not included.
	(ii) Not all self-inflicted deaths conclude with a verdict of suicide.
	(iii) Incidents of self-harm do not equate to numbers of prisoners, as an individual prisoner may self-harm more than once.
	(iv) Self-harm data are derived from information provided by establishments to the Prison Health Policy Unit. These data include information on all attempted suicides.

Brixton Prison

Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to allow private sector organisations to bid for the contract to run Brixton Prison.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Last November my right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Office (Mr Boateng) anounced in the wake of serious concern about conditions at Brixton Prison that it must be regarded as a failing institution and that there must be rapid and fundamental improvement. He made it clear that unless big improvements were made quickly Brixon could be subject to market testing. It is now over eight months since then and progress at the prison has been kept under close review.
	He is not satisfied with the rate of progress being made, nor that the necessary improvements will be in place within 12 months. In particular, there has not been adequate improvement in compliance with standards, the quality of regime remains poor, there are serious concerns about commitment to equal opportunities within the prison, costs remain high and there is a lack of commitment to changes to free up resources to improve the regime. This judgment, accepted by the director general, has been confirmed in a recent visit by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, who found that, although certain improvements have been made in many areas, basic conditions, including cleanliness in the healthcare centre, were still unacceptable.
	He has, therefore, reviewed the position and is clear that he would be failing in his public duty to all those at the prison, staff and prisoners alike, if we did not set a new path for the establishment. The director general agrees with him that there should be a market test of Brixton Prison. The new management team will be responsible for quickening the pace of improvement and for putting together an in-house bid, which will be judged alongside bids which will be invited from private sector operators.

Emergency Calls: Police Response Time

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the target response time to emergency calls for Metropolitan Police Forces.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: I refer the noble Duke to the Answer I gave him on 7 July (Offical Report, WA 166). The table, which should have accompanied my answer of 7 July, gives information for 1998-99 on police target response times for England and Wales.
	
		Performance in responding to emergencies
		
			  Target Performance Number of incidents 
			  1998-99 Local target time for responding to incidents requiring immediate response 1997-98 Local target time for responding to incidents requiring immediate response compared with 1998-99 1994-95 Local target time for responding to incidents requiring immediate response compared with 1998-99 Performance 1989-99 Difference in percentage points between 1997-98 and 1998-99 Difference in percentage points between 1994-95 and 1998-99 1998-99 The number of incidents The number of incidents percentage change from 1997-98 to 1998-99 The number of incidents percentage change from 1994-95 to 1998-99 
			 Avon and  Somerset 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 94% down 2 down 1 34.619 32% -5% 
			 Bedfordshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 89% 0 up 1 19.946 4% 843% 
			 Cambridgeshire 10 minutes for urban areas and 18 minutes for rural areas same target same target 78% down 4 up 2 29,987 11% -10% 
			 Cheshire 90% within 15 minutes same target same target 92% 0 not monitored for 94-95 57,362 -1% not monitored for 94-95 
			 Cleveland 90% within 10 minutes in urban areas and 90% within 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 89% down 5 down 3 22,743 4% 139% 
			 Cumbria 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 93% up 2 0 20,274 -6% -30% 
			 Derbyshire 10 minutes within urban areas and 20 minutes within rural areas and motorways same target same target 87% 0 0 56,688 -2% 17% 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 88% up 1 up 5 98,655 -10% 7% 
			 Dorset 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 80% 0 up 21 24,786 3% -62% 
			 Durham 10 minutes same target same target 92% 0 down 1 14,353 -6% -8% 
			 Essex 12 minutes in urban areas and 16 minutes in rural areas same target same target 84% down 2 down 2 67,490 -11% -21% 
			 Gloucestershire 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 91% down 2 up 10 34,296 12% -8% 
			 Hampshire 15 minutes same target same target 95% up 3 up 9 23,934 -75% -88% 
			 Hertfordshire An officer to reach you within 15 minutes in response to emergencies. Priority to be given to vulnerable members of our community same target Changed target 87% up 1 changed target 24,783 9% 153% 
			 Humberside To attend 87% of immediate response calls within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target Changed target 90% up 3 changed target 3,024 -54% -95% 
			 Kent Urban areas in 10 minutes and rural areas in 20 minutes. Strategic Road Network 20 minutes same target same target 97% 0 up 2 49,505 7% 14% 
			 Lancashire To attend the scene of all immediate response incidents within 15 minutes same target same target 97% down 1 up 1 80,663 -9% -3% 
			 Leicestershire 15 minutes same target same target 82% up 2 up 12 35,814 1% -64% 
			 Lincolnshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 88% up 1 up 3 39,193 -3% 5% 
			 Norfolk 10 minutes in urban areas and 15 minutes in rural areas same target same target 76% up 8 down 1 33,665 -27% -23% 
			 Northamptonshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 17 minutes in rural areas same target Changed target 89% down 2 changed target 20,497 -4% -44% 
			 North Yorkshire 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 98% up 2* up 1 4,626 4% 26% 
			 Nottinghamshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 15 minutes in rural areas same target same target 84% up 11 up 2 42,368 -34% -54% 
			 Staffordshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 90% down 1 up 1 37,958 52% 84% 
			 Suffolk 10 minutes in urban areas 18 minutes in rural areas same target same target 91% up 1 up 7 38,011 -1% 46% 
			 Surrey 10 minutes in urban areas, 20 minutes in rural areas, on motorways 20 minutes same target Changed target 82% down 1 changed target 37,135 -2% 226% 
			 Sussex 90% within 10 minutes for the larger towns, and 20 minutes elsewhere same target same target 89% down 1 up 1 55,645 -4% -5% 
			 Thames Valley To respond to immediate incidents within 15 minutes, 85% of the time same target Changed target 87% down 1 changed target 86,467 -4% 65% 
			 Warwickshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 79% 0 down 2 15,972 3% 0% 
			 West Mercia 85% within 10 minutes in urban areas and 85% within 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 92% up 2 up 7 51,555 -12% -34% 
			 Wiltshire 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 91% up 3 up 3 22,731 -20% -40% 
			  Welsh Police Authorities 
			 Dyfed-Powys In 85% of cases, response within 15 minutes same target same target 87% changed target changed target 17,617 7% 25% 
			 Gwent 20 minutes same target same target 95% up 1 up 3 37,996 -3% 0% 
			 North Wales 20 minutes same target same target 84% down 1 down 15 50,119 -15% 55% 
			 South Wales Our aim is to attend immediate response incidents within 15 minutes of receiving the call same target same target 89% down 1 0 83,795 7% 1% 
			  English Metropolitan Police Forces 
			 Greater Manchester 85% within 10 minutes same target same target 85% up 1 up 3 133,141 -10% -24% 
			 Merseyside 10 minutes same target same target 91% up 2 up 22 45,416 4% -22% 
			 Northumbria 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas same target same target 93% down 1 up 10 41,399 -13% -56% 
			 South Yorkshire 78% in 10 minutes same target Changed target 80% 0 changed target 41,550 7% -13% 
			 West Midlands 10 minutes in urban areas and 15 minutes in rural areas same target same target 93% down 1 up 10 102,939 -19% -29% 
			 West Yorkshire 15 minutes same target same target 95% 0 up 2 95,912 29% 14% 
			 Metropolitan Police To arrive within 12 minutes 85% of the time same target same target 88% down 1 down 3 593,556 1% 65% 
		
	
	£ indicates the requested information was not provided by the force.
	* indicates that doubt was expressed about the force's arrangements for producing the requested information.

Crime Statistics and Comparison of Police Detection Performance

Baroness Wilkins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have for the publication of crime statistics to assist comparison of police detection performance at a local level.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The next publication of crime statistics is due on July 18. As in January, an annex to the publication will give crime and detection figures for police basic command units for six types of crime which are of particular public concern. But for the first time my department will also be publishing these crime figures in relation to crime and disorder reduction partnerships. The partnership data will be published in 13 groups, or families, of partnerships. The families draw together areas with similar policing and crime reduction characteristics to assist comparison between the areas. There are 376 partnerships. The Home Office will today publish a policing and reducing crime unit briefing note to provide a description of how the family groups have been devised, which includes the list of the family groups. I have placed a copy of this briefing note in the Library.

Telegram from HM Ambassador to Japan

Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have instituted an inquiry into how the contents of a telegram from HM Ambassador to Japan came to be disclosed to the media, as reported in The Times of 4 July.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Yes.

Tobacco-related Taxes

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much money was raised in the last financial year from tobacco-related taxes.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Excise duty receipts on tobacco products for the financial year 1999-2000 can be found in Table 2.1D of the national statistics publication Financial Statistics. The amount of VAT raised on tobacco can be estimated from the amount of household expenditure on tobacco. This is shown in Table 4.1 of Consumer Trends, published by the Office for National Statistics.

Mull of Kintyre Helicopter Crash

Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Regarding the inquiry into the crash of a Chinook helicopter on the Mull of Kintyre in June 1984: (a) whether the board of inquiry concluded that there were three possible causes of the accident; (b) whether the board attempted to establish the most probable cause and concluded that of the three possible causes that the crew could be blamed for two of them; (c) whether the board ruled that one of the two causes was the most probable cause of the accident; (d) how a decision upon the most probable cause of the accident can be reconciled with the requirement that a finding of negligence must only be made "where there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever"; and (e) whether the words "probable" and "absolutely no doubt whatsoever" are in contradition with one another.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The board of inquiry considered all the possible causes of the accident and attempted to establish the most probable. The Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief said, in concluding the report, "without the irrefutable evidence which is provided by an Accident Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder there is inevitably a degree of speculation as to the precise detail of the sequence of events in the minutes and seconds immediately prior to impact. What does emerge from the inquiry, however, is that there is no evidence whatever of any combination of possible minor problems, or of any major difficulty, which would have so taxed the skills of the crew that they had no option other than to keep flying towards high ground at speed at low level in deteriorating conditions of cloud and visibility. From this I am reluctantly drawn to the conclusion that the operating pilots could and would have avoided this accident had they followed a different course of action from the one they chose to pursue".

Transport of Military Equipment

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 6 June (WA 149), in considering whether road or rail transport is used for the movement of military equipment within the United Kingdom, what monetary value is applied in the calculation to cover (a) congestion and delays to other road users; (b) emissions; (c) noise; (d) speed of overall journey; and (e) training needs.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence is only funded for the movement of military stores and equipment by the most cost-effective means. The MoD's budget is not intended to fund reductions in traffic congestion, delays, emissions and noise, and the selection of the best value for money option does not take these factors into account in monetary terms. None of them can be costed realistically and objectively, though they are taken into consideration when making a decision. The selection process does allow for the practical effects of speed and other capability factors, and close liaison is always maintained with civil police and local authorities to minimise any impact on other road users, However, training in each mode of transportation is also an important aspect of defence capability and will, therefore, dictate the mode to be used on many occasions.

Smoking-related Illnesses: Cost to NHS

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much the National Health Service in the whole of the United Kingdom spent during the last financial year on smoking-related illnesses.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information requested is not available. However a study Cost Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Interventions by the Health Education Authority, in collaboration with the University of York, published in 1997, estimated the annual cost to the National Health Service of treating smoking related disease caused by smoking was between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion for England, This is the most recent available estimate.

Smoking in Public Places

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they propose to ban smoking in public places.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government have supported the licensed hospitality trade's Public Places Charter to increase the provision of non-smoking facilities in pubs, hotels and restaurants. The Health and Safety Commission has consulted on introducing an approved code of practice on smoking in the workplace.

Tobacco Advertising and Marketing

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they propose to restrict further the advertising and marketing of tobacco.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The ban on advertising was to be introduced on 10 December 1999 but the tobacco companies succeeded in the High Court in winning a stay on the Government implementing the regulations, pending the decision of the European Court of Justice on the validity of the Directive 98/43/EC. The Government appealed the High Court's decision successfully, but the companies have appealed to the House of Lords and the stay on implementation remains in force pending the outcome of that appeal.
	On 15 June the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice delivered his opinion that the legal base of the EU directive which seeks to ban tobacco advertising was invalid and the directive should, therefore, be annulled. The Advocate General's opinion is not binding on the European Court. However, in the light of the opinion we are preparing primary legislation to deliver our manifesto commitment to ban tobacco advertising. We will bring forward this legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows, as the Government attach a high priority to it.

"Do Not Resuscitate" Instructions: Monitoring

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 3 July (WA 121-22), whether they have any plans for "do not resuscitate" decisions made in National Health Service hospitals to be collected centrally.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I refer my noble friend to the reply I gave on 6 July 2000 at col. WA 156.

Nurse Recruitment

Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What initiatives are in place to recruit nurses from the ethnic and religious communities in the United Kingdom.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The new equalities framework for the National Health Service The Vital Connection reinforces the Human Resource Framework Working Together which sets out that NHS employers must demonstrate progress towards a workforce that year on year becomes more representative of the community it serves at all levels of the organisation. National examples include the Positively Diverse scheme and the Mary Seacole Bursary awards. Local examples include the Healthcare Apprenticeship Scheme at Bradford Community Trust and the Pathways to Access Project in Tower Hamlets.
	The number of applicants to nurse training from Black and Asian backgrounds doubled between 1997-98 and 1998-99 (from 1,300 to 2,716). In 1998-99 about 8 per cent of domestic applicants to nursing providing ethnicity data described themselves as Black or Asian.

Nurse Recruitment

Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are recruiting nurses from the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East; and, if so, what are the numbers in the National Health Service in comparison to the numbers recruited from China, Thailand and African countries.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This information is not held centrally. Information on applications from nurses outside the United Kingdom for registration to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) can be found in the UKCC annual statistical analysis of the UKCC professional register. Information on the number of work permits issued to employers is available from the Overseas Labour Service.
	The National Health Service Executive issued guidance on international recruitment to the service in November last year. The guidance gives NHS employers clear and authoritative policy on how they should pursue international recruitment and states that NHS employers should consider international recruitment only when its professional and service value can be clearly demonstrated and when it will have no adverse effects upon the recruit's home healthcare system. Copies are available in the Library.

Departmental Cars

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 8 June (WA 173), what type and make of cars are used by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not directly own any cars but leases those that it uses from the Government Car and Dispatch Agency. These are not included in this Answer. For the details I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, on 6 July, Official Report, (WA 148-49). The Royal Parks Agency does not own any cars but leases them. They are Ford Escorts, Renault Laguna Estates, Subaru Estates and Vauxhall Astra Estates.

Historic Ships

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are their plans to provide statutory safeguards for those ships which are listed by the National Historic Ships Project as either of "core collection" or "designated" status; and
	What are their plans to provide financial support for the conservation of those ships which are listed by the National Historic Ships Project as either of "core collection" or "designated" status.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: There are no plans to provide statutory safeguards for those ships which are listed by the National Historic Ships Project as either of "core collection" or "designated" status. While the Government recognise the importance of historic ships to our heritage, we are not convinced that the extension of statutory protection to them is either necessary or appropriate.
	Her Majesty's Government do not provide direct financial support for the conservation of historic ships other than through the provision of grant-in-aid to those museums, funded by my department, which hold historic vessels as part of their collections. However, since 1995 the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded grants totalling nearly £7 million for the support of historic ships.

UK Dog Owners in Germany

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they are doing to assist United Kingdom citizens in Germany who, in the light of a media campaign against certain breeds of dog, are seeking to bring their dogs back to the United Kingdom in order to protect them.

Baroness Hayman: Pet owners in Europe are free to bring their dogs to the UK if they wish. Those dogs which meet the conditions of the Pet Travel Scheme may enter the UK without going into quarantine; other dogs will have to undergo six months' quarantine. Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 the following types of dog may not be brought into the country: pit bull terrier; Japanese tosa; Dogo Argentino; and Fila Braziliero.

Joint Committee on Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to propose to both Houses of Parliament the terms of reference of the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: We are currently consulting on the proposed joint committee through the usual channels. We will table the proposed terms of reference as soon as those consultations are complete.

Legislative Programme

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the context of the current Session of Parliament, they consider that the Legislative Programme Committee of the Cabinet has performed satisfactorily.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: It is a longstanding policy of this and previous administrations not to comment on the operation of Cabinet or its committees.

Council of Europe and WEU: Changes in Composition of Delegation

Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there are any changes in the composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: The honourable Member for Ruislip Northwood (Mr Wilkinson) has been appointed as a representative in place of the late Michael Colvin.

NMEC: Advice of Accounting Officer

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When and by whom the sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) was made aware of the advice of the Accounting Officer to the Millennium Commission that a further grant to the NMEC would not represent value for money; and what representations, if any, the sole shareholder made about the further use of lottery money.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: While officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) who support me in my role as sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) had been informed about the advice the Millennium Commission might give to the Millennium Commissioners, I did not know what the advice from the accounting officer was to be before the meeting on 21 May. After the meeting I was told by officials of the DCMS what advice had been given and what decision had been taken. I made no representation to the Millennium Commission about the use of lottery money in connection with the application, though I had discussed the subject informally with individual commissioners.

Strategic Communications Unit

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the use of party political slogans in the communications of the Strategic Communications Unit to government departments would (a) affect the unit's political impartiality; and (b) represent an appropriate use of taxpayers' money.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All communications from the Strategic Communications Unit comply with Guidance on the Work of the Government Information Service.

Millennium Dome: Distributionof Sale Proceeds

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 23 June (WA 49) about the proportion of the proceeds of sale from the Millennium Dome site that will be split between the New Millennium Company and English Partnerships, what factors will be taken into consideration when determining the division of proceeds; and what priority will be given to those factors.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The recommended decision on the division of proceeds will be taken by Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), HM Treasury, and myself. In taking this decision Ministers will receive information and advice from the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), English Partnerships, the Millennium Commission, and officials in their respective Departments. This will include information about the nature of the preferred bid, including the associated financial offer and the land and other assets required. Such information will be taken into account in deciding how the proceeds of the sale will be divided between NMEC and EP.

Welsh Assembly: Draft Protocolon Primary Legislation

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton on 8 May (WA 216), what is the latest position with regard to the draft protocol on primary legislative procedure discussed at the National Assembly for Wales on 2 February; and whether they will place a copy of the protocol in the Library of the House.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: The protocol is still being considered in the light of the experience of this Session. When it is agreed with the Assembly, Her Majesty's Government will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Departmental Cars

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton on 14 June (WA 203) on the type and make of cars used by the Welsh Office, what types, makes and number of cars are supplied to the Welsh Office by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: I refer the noble Lord to the response given by Lord Falconer on 6 July 2000 (col. WA 148). Further details of the cars supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the Wales Office cannot be disclosed for security reasons.